The Centre Committed to Clean Tributaries of Ganga as well

Ministry of Water Resources
29-May, 2018 19:19 ISTThe Centre Committed to Clean Tributaries of Ganga as well

After Union Minister for WR, RD & GR Shri Nitin Gadkari holds review meetings along with Chief Minister of Delhi, Delhi Jal Board awards two more projects for Delhi today for Yamuna In Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, a proposal for Interception & Diversion (I&D) of 5 drains (having cumulative flow of 5 MLD) merging into river Saryu approved by the Executive Committee of NMCG today One sewerage management project in West Bengal approved for Jangipur municipality

After considerable success in sanctioning projects for main stem of river Ganga, the Centre has now shifted focus to the entire Ganga basin. Not only are new projects being taken up on the tributaries of Ganga, the existing approved projects on river Yamuna are also being expedited.

Just five days after the Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Shri Nitin Gadkari along with CM Delhi Shri Arvind Kejriwal took a review meeting of projects on Yamuna in Delhi; two projects were awarded today in the Board meeting of the DJB. These projects are laying of pumping mains of 8137 m in Kondli area at an estimated cost of 59.13 crore and rehabilitation of rising mains in Rithala area at an estimated cost of 45.40 crore. The work on four other projects under Yamuna Action Plan-III (YAP-III) is already going on. These projects include rehabilitation of trunk sewer lines of 8498 m in Kondli, rehabilitation of trunk sewer of 7715 m in Kondli, rehabilitation of sewer lines of 5090 m in Rithala and rehabilitation and upgradation of existing 182 MLD in Rithala in Delhi.

In the 12th Executive Committee meeting of NMCG held today, a proposal for interception and diversion of 5 drains (having cumulative flow of 5 MLD) merging into river Saryu in Ayodhya has been approved by the Executive Committee at an estimated cost of 37.67 crore. It is noteworthy that in Ayodhya a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) of 12 MLD already exists and is operational. This project will ensure that the existing STP will be fully utilized as the intercepted drains, which now merge into river Ganga, will be diverted to the STP for treatment and would not be carrying sewage directly into Saryu river.

In West Bengal, one project costing 68.47 crore has also been approved in which 13 interception and diversion structures will be created, besides two sewage treatment plants (5 MLD in Raghunath Ganj and 8 MLD in Jangipur). A laboratory for effluent testing and online monitoring is part of the proposal. Jangipur comes under the historical Murshidabad district which used to be the capital of West Bengal before Kolkata.

May 29, 2018 17:30 ISTAn aerial view of the Yamuna river along with Signature Bridge at Wazirabad in New Delhi on Tuesday. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said that within four months residents of Delhi and tourists will be able to witness this view. The bridge connects Wazirabad across the river Yamuna to the inner city. (Sonu Mehta / HT Photo)

Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal has issued notice under Rule 4 of the Inter-State River Water Disputes Rules, 1959 to the State Governments of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra to nominate their representatives for adjudication of Mahanadi River Water Disputes latest by August 06, 2018. The notice also mentioned that if no nominations were received by the due date, the case may be decided in the absence of any representation of State Government.

Earlier on the request of Government of Odisha made under Section 3 of Inter-State River Water Disputes (ISRWD) Act, 1956, the Central Government constituted Mahanadi Water Dispute Tribunal on 12th March, 2018. The Central Government made reference for taking up adjudication to the Tribunal under Section 4 of the ISRWD Act, 1956 on 17th April, 2018.

DG, NMCG requested Chief Secretary, U. P Government, for active involvement of 26 District Ganga Committees to be constituted for the cause of Ganga Rejuvenation.

While reviewing all 30 sewerage projects being undertaken in Uttar Pradesh under Namami Gange programme, NMCG urged the UP government to complete 8 of the 10 ongoing projects by December 2018 and start work on the remaining sanctioned projects at the earliest. In addition, the UP administration was also asked to complete the repair/rehabilitation/construction work of 87 ghats by March 2019.

During the meeting, a detailed discussion on preparations of Mahakumbh 2019 at Allahabad took place. NMCG asked the UP government to expedite the process of cleaning all 35 drains in Allahabad that meets river Ganga upstream through bioremediation so that projects could be implemented well before the Mahakumbh begins.

NMCG urged the government of Uttar Pradesh to focus on tributaries of Ganga and send proposals for cities of Meerut, Moradabad, Saharanpur, Lucknow, Jaunpur so that work on cleaning of tributaries like Hindon, Ram Ganga, Kali, Gomti etc may begin at the earliest.

NMCG also raised the important issue of Solid Waste going into Ganga through drains with the government of Uttar Pradesh. UP government was requested to direct the Urban Local Bodies along river Ganga to prepare an action plan to provide adequate arrangements in the drains, stretching at least a kilometre from the river’s confluence, to tap the solid waste entering into the river.

The project of Composite Ecological Task Force Battalion (Ganga Task Force) which has taken off under the aegis of Namami Gange programme was also discussed during the meeting. A Ganga Task Force will be deputed in three important towns of Allahabad, Varanasi and Kanpur to assists Ganga Rejuvenation efforts. The orientation meetings with the administration are being held. Principal Secretary, Environment and Forest, Ms Renuka Kumar while explaining the massive greening “Ganga Haritama Abhiyan” going on in Uttar Pradesh assured NMCG that necessary training shall be imparted to Ganga Task Force by the Environment Department and UP Pollution Control Board. She also suggested in the meeting to have some common training and orientation for Ganga Task Force and Ganga Praharies, a group of self-motivated volunteers along river Ganga, to maximize public participation.